The FARRRS link road is expected to provide a three per cent boost to the Sheffield City Region economy and slash journey times to the airport afer it opens in January 2016.

The Aer Lingus decision to restart flights to Dublin in May - eight months earlier - is a big step on the way to making Doncaster the “credible airport of choice for Sheffield City Region,” according to managing director Steve Gill.

He and his team have been far more proactive in lobbying airlines since the recession and their efforts are starting to bear fruit, with seven new routes in the last year.

He said: “I’m really delighted, in the last year we have really concentrated our efforts and the business is increasingly attractive to airlines.”

But the airport’s business model – which includes a £150m investment by owners Peel Group – is based on a “transformation” created by the FARRRS link road when it opens in January 2016.

It is set to slash journey times from Sheffield city centre to 25 minutes, while six million people will be an hour’s drive away or less.

“The board reacquired the airport from Vantage in 2012 with the belief that it had a future. We have contributed £12m to the new road and we are continuing to invest because we still believe,” he added.